Final answer:
The shorter base of the isosceles trapezoid is approximately 6 cm.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the shorter base of the isosceles trapezoid, we need to use the properties of the trapezoid. Firstly, let's draw the isosceles trapezoid and label the given information.
The longer base is 12 cm, the side is 5 cm, and the acute angle is 37º. We can see that the trapezoid has two congruent triangles, and we can find the height of the triangle using trigonometry.
Step 1: Find the height of the triangle using the sine of the acute angle.
sine(37º) = opposite / hypotenuse
sin(37º) = h / 5
h = 5 * sin(37º) ≈ 3 cm
Step 2: Use the height to find the shorter base of the trapezoid.
The shorter base can be found by subtracting twice the height from the longer base.
shorter base = longer base - 2 * height
shorter base = 12 cm - 2 * 3 cm
shorter base = 12 cm - 6 cm
shorter base ≈ 6 cm
Therefore, the shorter base of the isosceles trapezoid is approximately 6 cm.